We are happy to announce the latest version of the Total Cost of Ownership tool for cold chain equipment (v1.7) is now available to download and use. If you have been using an earlier version of the tool, please download the latest version from the *new* link below.   Version 1.7 of the TCO tool contains all PQS pre-qualified equipment as of July 2019 and is available in English and French. https://www.path.org/resources/total-cost-of-ownership-tool-for-cold-chain-equipment/ Version 1.7 includes a new filter by energy source and type of CCE option which allows users to filter by power (solar, mains, passive) as well as type, such as refrigerator versus refrigerator and freezer combination units.  More walk in cold and freezer rooms have also been added to the tool along with the ability to filter for CCEOP eligible equipment and storage segment needs.  If you have any questions or would like training/demos please email Matt Morio mmorio@path.org  

Dear All, So pleased to share the great news that yesterday, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health products in an effort to expand access. The draft resolution is on the WHA website: http://apps.who.int/gb/e/e_wha72.html#resolutions The resolution urges Member States to enhance public sharing of information on actual prices paid by governments and other buyers for health products, and greater transparency on pharmaceutical patents, clinical trial results and other determinants of pricing along the value chain from laboratory to patient. This is what WHO is working on with the Market Information for Access (MI4A) initiative - focusing on vaccines. https://www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/procurement/v3p/platform/en/  It was great to see the enthusiasm of countries such as Brazil, the African delegation with a strong statement from Botswana, but also Hungary, Mexico, India and many others. This resolution was led by Italy and cosponsored by 18 countries across all WHO regions. It is a great step forward in helping countries making informed decisions on vaccines and medicines procurement!

Hello, please check out recent feedback from the Immunization and vaccines related implementation research advisory committee (IVIR-AC) on the newly-launched WHO Market Information for Access Initiative (MI4A) and methodology: "The initiative is providing a valuable public good that could shape markets and ultimately save lives if greater transparency and less information asymmetry generally lead to more efficient markets." View the full IVIR-AC recommendations in the current edition of WHO's Weekly Epidemiological Record: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/312312/WER9419.pdf MI4A provides a unique global perspective on vaccine markets, covering all countries and vaccines with objectives to: Enhance the understanding of global vaccine demand, supply and pricing dynamics and identifying affordability and shortage risks; Convene all relevant global health partners to contribute to the development of policies, strategies, and guidance to address the identified risks; Strengthen national and regional capacity for improved access to vaccines supply. For more information on MI4A please see: www.who.int/immunization/MI4A Tania

Dear Sir/Madam Wish to share that under the aegis of  IIHMR University, Jaipur, 05 days International training program on “Procurement and Supply Chain Management of Essential Medicines & In Vitro Diagnostics”  is scheduled from 26-30 August, 2019 at the IIHMR University Jaipur, India The objective of the training program is to provide technical guidance for establishing a robust procurement and supply chain framework for ensuring supply of good quality essential medicines and diagnostics Program Contents : - Managing selection of essential medicines and diagnostics  Selection criteria’s Significance of EML, EDL, STD and Formularies Quantification and Forecasting Methods of quantification  Procurement of essential medicines and diagnostics Strategic objectives of good pharmaceutical procurement How to formulate tender specifications Tender evaluation Selecting correct procurement type Selection of appropriate supplier Procurement laws and regulations Pooled procurement mechanism  Warehousing, Storage and Distribution Guidelines for good storage practices Receiving and arranging commodities Monitoring and evaluation of drug distribution system  Quality Assurance and Donation of medicines WHO Prequalification of Medicines Program (WHO PQP) Quality inspections-Sampling and survey process    Combating Not of standard drugs/spurious drugs National guidelines on donation of medicines Max-Min Inventory control Types of Inventory control systems  Logistic Management Information System (LMIS) Types of Logistics records and their significance Rational use of drugs Role of drugs and therapeutics committee Diagnosis, prescribing, dispensing and patient adherence Pricing and sustainable financing Donor funding and pricing mechanism Monitoring and evaluation of supply chain Indicators for M&E of supply chains Policy and legal framework for procurement and supply chain National medicines policy Hands on training on Noninvasive techniques and rapid detection techniques for determining drug quality (Raman handheld spectroscopy) Field visit to drug warehouse    PROGRAMME FEE         For Indian participants                : Rs 37,500 per participant plus 18% GST For Foreign participants             : USD 700 per participant plus 18% GST The fees cover tuition fees, training material, stay in air-conditioning room (twin-sharing basis), breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea/coffee during the program and pick-up and drop from Jaipur airport/railway station/bus stand. Welcome dinner and short-trip to historical and cultural importance places in Jaipur would be offered by the University in honor of the participants. Participants would be encouraged to use library facilities. Around the clock internet facility (Wi-Fi) is available for the participants. The travel tickets from the country of origin to Jaipur and vice versa are to be borne by the participant/sponsoring agency. DISCOUNTS ON THE FEE Early Bird Discount: Nominations received with payments on/before 4-weeks (29th July 2019) will be entitled to an early bird discount of 10%. Group Discount: Any organization sponsoring four or more participants to the program will be entitled for a discount of 20% on the total fee payable provided that at least four participants attend the program. Maximum Discount: Organization can avail themselves of both the discount subject to maximum discount of 20%. I am sure that you will find it useful for the organization/national health system program. I would be grateful, if you could participate/nominate interested candidates in the training program. You may forward to concerned department also Kindly send the interest to the program coordinator at saurabh@iihmr.edu.in   Looking forward for your kind cooperation and support to make the program success. A word of response would be appreciated. Regards   Dr.Saurabh kumar Banerjee  M.Pharm, Ph.D., MBA Associate  Professor and Program Coordinator The IIHMR University, 1 Prabhu Dayal Marg, Near Sanganer Airport Jaipur (Pin-302029), Rajasthan, INDIA Office: +91 141 3924700, Ext: 789,  Mobile +91-8890398067 Email: saurabh@iihmr.edu.in

Dear Colleagues,

The 14th Batch of the Post Graduate Diploma Course in Global Health Procurement and Supply Chain Management is scheduled to launch in September 2018. This is an 11-month ONLINE program wherein there are 9 modules. The course is structured to address one topic area per month for 8 months, starting with a module on introduction to PSM and ending with PSM support functions and systems. Each module is supported by Assignments, MCQ's and Assessments. The course ends with a final assessment which will cover all the modules. You will be provided with a direct line of contact to with Course Administrator as well as the faculty, who will guide you through the obstacles if any.
Please find attached the Course Structure of the Program, this will help you understand how beneficial the course is for you. Key takeaway's from the course - its global orientation - sharing of experiences from across countries,
- a practical and applied approach to the extensive use of exercises, case studies, projects and internships
- technical assistance for one-year offered which includes - mentoring/Coaching from the Subject Matter Experts
- Competency Assessment Tool
- a community of Practice (through Empower’s Big Learning Platform)
- a special focus on improving students’ personal effectiveness by building workplace skills,
- use of cutting-edge e-Learning technologies and instructional design to make learning easy and impactful Kindly click on this link and fill in the application form - https://goo.gl/7QpHg2 Regards  --  Ms. Kavya RS  |  Training & Education Coordinator  |  Empower School of Health |  New Delhi . New York  | SkypeID : empower.schoolofhealth  |  +91.95.99.83.50.01 (India) | info@empowerschoolofhealth.org |  www.empowerschoolofhealth.org

One of the beneficial features of SDD refrigerators is its relative simplicity. Electrically two wires from the solar array are directly connected to the compressor. This simplicity minimizes problems in the field and simplifies repairs. Energy harvesting technology introduces a great deal of electronic complexity and the complexity increases as a larger percent of the available energy is harvested. In the US the primary mode of failure of new refrigerators is the electronic circuitry. In the field there will be different types of energy harvesting devices coupled to different brands of refrigerators and the loads connected to the device will be of varying types, ie batteries, resistive loads, pumps etc. these factors will complicate the determination of  a cause of failure and will also complicate training of the repair person. If the energy harvesting device does fail there may not be the power necessary to call a repair person. If a USB charging port is created it is desirable to provide power throughout daylight hours so devices such as smart phones and I pads can get fully charged. The simpler harvesting technologies only provide auxiliary power when the refrigerator is not running and the more complex technologies could provide a USB port throughout the day if there is sufficient excess power when the refrigerator is running.    A simpler strategy to supply energy for auxiliary loads may be to add a small stand alone power system. A 100 watt $100 solar module could typically provide 500 watt hrs of continuously available reliable power. A USB charging station can be powered by a panel between 6 and 20 watts, the cost of the system would be between $15 and $50, and these systems do not require a battery. Although the idea of energy harvesting is intriguing it may not be the most reliable and cost effective way to supply power for auxiliary loads.

Dear Colleagues, The agenda of the ‘International Workshop in Ensuring Product Quality in Procurement and Supply Chain Management’ was to present face-to-face opportunity to the participants from National Medical Supplies Fund (NMSF), Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan in gaining a comprehensive understanding of concepts of Quality Assurance (QA) of pharmaceutical products and processes in procurement and supply chain. The workshop was held in Al-Fateh Idris Hall in the Abdul Hamid Ibrahim Training Centre (AITC-NMSF) from 13th - 19th April 2018 and was attended by 29 participants. The workshop was led by Professor Andy Barraclough and Ms. Radhika Singh and provided an excellent opportunity to learn from daily work experiences with other participants from different states and districts as well. The participants evaluated the workshop highly in terms of content and methodology. The participants found the workshop well-structured, comprehensive, rich in content and useful for implementing the QA agenda in their respective departments. Field visit to NMSF central warehouse, case studies, and group work were rated highly. The arrangements of the workshop and the hospitality and commitment of the NMSF staff was highly appreciated by all participants. Click here for newsletter: goo.gl/aRyGG5

Economic studies have shown that immunization is an excellent investment, yielding one of the highest returns in health. One dollar spent on immunization is estimated to generate a $16 return on investment. UNICEF considers governments’ budget allocations, whatever their resources, to this life-saving intervention to be states’ foremost commitment to children and the fulfilment of their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Yet, protecting immunization in governments’ budgets has not been systematically addressed in middle-income countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It is to help governments uphold their commitments to the right of every child to be immunized against preventable diseases that UNICEF has undertaken the present financing study. Based on data, research, interviews, lessons learned and good practices in the MENA region, the study provides policymakers, senior officials in ministries of finance and health, and parliamentarians or equivalents with a set of key recommendations to secure necessary government financing for this critical childhood intervention. In focusing on middle-income countries, the study provides a deeper understanding of the situation and dynamics of two critical subgroups: countries with gross national incomes per capita too high to make them eligible for outside financial support, yet who face challenges to meet their immunization goals; and countries eligible for international development assistance, yet who struggle to transition out of aid and co-finance a much greater share of their immunization costs. That means prioritizing health within government budgets, prioritizing immunization within health, and working to make programmes as efficient as possible. Key global players are at the vanguard of the immunization drive, including by making newer vaccines accessible to countries facing resource constraints. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, plays a central role in giving eligible countries support to adopt new, life-saving vaccines and improve coverage and equity. At UNICEF, the Supply Division makes every effort to source and supply affordable vaccines, making its procurement services available to countries. Gaining efficiencies and ensuring sustainability are two overarching themes of immunization financing in this report. Where and how countries spend on health is critical: do they allocate funding to ‘do the right thing’ – using budgets to adequately support the highest priority activities in health, such as immunization? And are they ‘doing things right’ – delivering high-quality services and procuring vaccines efficiently? Do budgets include ancillary but crucial allotments for ongoing supervision, training, surveillance, supply and cold chain management, and laboratory control that are prerequisites for effective immunization? This report concludes that in most of MENA’s middle-income countries, prioritizing immunization and making it more efficient is the best way to create room in budgets and to secure more resources. Many of the recommended first steps are information-related: generating and sharing knowledge, equipping policymakers with evidence, and determining the role of social insurance. It is our hope that this report and its recommendations will help UNICEF and partners in the region strengthen their advocacy and support to governments so they live up to their commitments to the CRC and build high-performing immunization systems that are accessible to all.

Dear colleagues,
You can now access i+academy comprehensive catalogue for online supply chain management (SCM) courses.
All online courses can be delivered as face-to-face, blended and on-the-job (OJT) learning courses.
Click on this link. You can also copy and paste the web link.
Course catalogue: http://www.iplusacademy.org/pluginfile.php/16638/mod_resource/content/1/iplusacademy_course_catalogue.pdf
Get equipped with the right knowledge in global health supply chain management for improved project and programme outcomes and impact.
Regards
Adebayo Adekola|email:trainings@iplussolutions.org|website:www.iplussolutions.org|i+ academy (online trainings in SCM): www.iplusacademy.org

Since 2006, the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT has worked to improve the health and well-being of communities around the world. Our contributions span the globe and touch all areas of health supply chain management. Over the past nine years, we have supported malaria, family planning, maternal and child health, and emerging pandemic threat programs, among other areas. As we move into the final year of the project,IQC DirectorEdward Wilson takes a look back at the project's accomplishments. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1mFvECR

The V3P project aims at collecting, publishing and analysing vaccine product and price information. This year, 40 countries have shared data with V3P. Combining information shared by countries, PAHO and UNICEF, the database provides price information on more than 170 vaccines. If you wonder about the price range of vaccines in various income groups, if you would like to know more about the evolution of vaccine prices overtime, if you are currently working on budgeting and financing and would like to use real and current prices for your analyses: come check out the new V3P price database. To access the database, click on the link to the V3P web platform: www.who.int/immunization/v3p, and then follow “Price database” and “Database reports and analyses”. Please feel free to share any comment or question on V3P and vaccine pricing on this forum or at: v3p-project@who.int.